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ShareHooch tragedies killing hundreds are not new to India nor is the consumption of country liquor. And the resulting hooch tragedies are also not unknown even in a dry state like Gujarat.
But the unabated killer run of toxic country liquor in a dry state like Gujarat for over three days is bizarre. Usually, hooch tragedies are one-day incidents. What's more - dozens of deaths have taken place in localities like Ramol, Amraiwadi, Bhaipura - all of which fall in chief minister Narendra Modi's assembly constituency of Maninagar.
Public sympathy may not be with the drunkard victims, but their families have paid a price for years, and now they will suffer in a different manner.
Though many a widows and family members have publicly expressed a sigh of relief as the drunkards died, the question is, when the whole world knew by Tuesday evening about the toxic hooch killing nearly a score of people, why could not the police prevent its further consumption on Wednesday and Thursday?
Bootlegger Arvind of Majoorgam who died, along with two other family members, had consumed hooch on Sunday night. He was hospitalised and died on Monday morning. The news about this being a bigger phenomenon emerged on Tuesday afternoon.
Why is it that the city hospitals are admitting patients who consumed this brew as late as on Thursday morning? Why has the law and order machinery failed to plug the more or less public sale of hooch? It is difficult to believe that police inspectors are unaware of what's going on in their area.
While the prohibition issue can be debated later, the question is were the powers-that-be unaware of the fact that there were over 750 liquor 'stands' in Majoorgam which has become the Las Vegas of the poor in the city?
